1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roll support member for suspending and supporting a roll-form recording material in a housing, and also relates to a recording material package employing the roll support member.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a roll-form recording material is stored and transported as a package in which the roll-form recording material is supported and suspended by roll support members and housed in a housing. In the case of a light-sensitive recording material, the recording material is completely shielded from light by covering it with a light-shielding flange and a light-shielding leader and then housed in the housing. Regardless of whether it is light-sensitive or non-light-sensitive, with regard to roll support members for suspending and fixing the roll-form recording material in a housing by means of cushioning members, those comprising two members, that is, a cylindrical shaft and a flange portion, are used. In this case, the cylindrical shaft is inserted through a hole of the flange portion and further inserted into either end of a core around which the roll-form recording material is wound, thus suspending and supporting the roll-form recording material in the housing.
However, the above-mentioned structure having the flange portion at the end of the cylindrical shaft has the problem that it is susceptible to an impact received when the housing is dropped, etc. Because of this, a comparatively thick molding formed from a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene, which is resistant to deformation, has been used as a material for the roll support member. However, a thick molding has the defects that the amount of material used is large, the cooling time during molding is long, etc. Furthermore, the roll support member comprising two members, that is, the cylindrical shaft and the flange portion, is expensive to produce.
A roll support member in which a flange portion and a cylindrical shaft for supporting a roll-form recording material are formed integrally has been disclosed (ref. JP-A-11-327089, JP-A-7-330032, and JP-A-2002-244249 [JP-A denotes a Japanese unexamined patent application publication]). However, the strength toward a drop impact is insufficient, and there has been a desire for further improvement.
Furthermore, even when the roll support member formed integrally from the cylindrical shaft and the flange portion is employed, in the case of the light-sensitive recording material, a light-shielding flange is often used at each of the end faces of the recording material roll, but there is a desire for a roll support member that will not cause any indentation on the outer periphery of a recording material roll even if a light-shielding flange is not used at each of the end faces of the roll.